Clinical Assessment
Two clinicians independently diagnose the same client with OCD. This demonstrates:
Interrater reliability
Persistent intrusive thoughts that cause distress are called:
Obsessions
A major depressive episode must last at least:
2 weeks
Lena sleeps 3 hours per night for a week, feels unstoppable, talks rapidly, and spends thousands of dollars impulsively. What episode is she experiencing?
A manic episode
Maria was in a car accident. She has flashbacks, nightmares, and avoids driving. Her symptoms have lasted 3 weeks. What diagnosis fits best?
Acute PTSD (under 1 month)
An assessment tool that predicts who will relapse into depression within 6 months demonstrates:
Predictive Validity
Carlos is preoccupied with the belief that his nose is severely disfigured. Multiple doctors have told him it appears normal. He spends 4–5 hours per day checking mirrors and avoiding social events. What disorder is this?
Body dysmorphic disorder
Low levels of these two neurotransmitters are associated with unipolar depression:
Serotonin and norepinephrine
This mood stabilizer requires blood monitoring due to toxicity risk:
Lithium
After hearing a loud explosion, Jason’s heart races, his pupils dilate, and he feels a surge of adrenaline. Which nervous system is activated?
Sympathetic nervous system
A therapist conducts an intake by asking open-ended questions, allowing the client to freely describe childhood experiences, relationships, and emotions, without a structured checklist. What clinical assessment is being used?
Unstructured clinical interview
What is thought–action fusion?
The idea that having a bizarre thought is the same as carrying out the act itself
This treatment sends controlled electrical current through the brain to induce a seizure:
Electroconvulsive therapy
After a week of mania, Lena crashes into a 2-month depressive episode. She has experienced at least one full manic episode. What is the diagnosis?
BP1
List the triggers for PTSD
Combat, Natural disasters, Accidents, Severe illness, Victimization (sexual assault, abuse), Terrorism/mass shootings, Torture
A teacher tracks a child’s hyperactive behavior in the classroom and reports her observations to a psychologist.
What type of assessment is this?
Participant observer
What is Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)?
Have patients intentionally face feared situations (exposure) while abstaining from rituals or compulsions (response prevention)
For the past month, Elena reports feeling “empty,” has stopped enjoying her favorite hobbies, and feels exhausted most days. What is this symptom called?
Anhedonia
Sam has had fluctuating mild hypomanic symptoms and mild depressive symptoms for 3 years. Neither episode meets full criteria for mania or major depression. What disorder does this describe?
Cyclothymic Disorder
Dissociative Identity Disorder involves multiple subpersonalities (alters). According to the textbook, what are the three main ways alters can interact with one another?
Mutually amnesic relationships, Mutually cognizant (aware) relationships, One-way amnesic relationships
A new depression scale consistently produces similar scores across repeated administrations. However, when compared to independent clinical diagnoses, the scores do not align. What is strong and what is weak about this test?
Strong reliability
Weak validity (concurrent)
Hyperactivity in this looped brain circuit is strongly linked to OCD symptoms:
Cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical (CSTC) circuit
After failing one quiz, a student says, “I’ll never succeed in college.” What cognitive bias is this?
Overgeneralization
Jordan experiences 4 days of elevated energy, reduced need for sleep, and increased productivity, followed by major depressive episodes. What would be the accurate diagnosis in this scenario?
BP2